What’s in a Name?

I didn’t expect coming up with a name for my yoga business to be a challenge. I mean I work in strategy, I’m a creative. This is my jam. Three weeks later and a growing list of crossed out names and I was still stuck. Part of me wondered if the “stuckness” was less about being able to find a name and more about not having a name being a reason for not having to move on to the next steps. Because I was scared. I didn’t know what I was doing. Questioning whether I was ready or really good enough. The thoughts of self doubt plagued my mind. Oh imposter syndrom. This, unfortunately, was also my jam.

In the second Yoga Sutra, Patañjali defines yoga as the restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff. Loosely translated to shutting up the chatter in your brain, often called the monkey mind by yoga types. I kept coming back to this Sutra, because it was a large part of why I began practicing yoga. Yes, I wanted to build strength and had dreams of bending my body into various shapes, but really, what I needed was a way to quell the noise in my head. The mind-stuff. I considered calling it mind-stuff, and kept coming back to that name. But my husband thought people may confuse it for a medicinal marijuana business, which may not be a bad thing foot-traffic-wise, was definitely not something for which I was licensed. 

So why Stillness & Fire? As I type this, I haven’t fully committed to the name yet, so I thought writing it out would help. As writing usually does that for me. Yoga isn’t just a physical practice. Asanas, the postures we practice in yoga are just one of eight limbs, but more on that in another post. And if you read the Yoga Sutras, I think he only mentions Asanas twice! (Okay, it’s actually three times, I just checked. The first time is in reference to the eight limbs, the second defines Asana as a steady comfortable posture [clearing not referring to Chaturanga here], and the third is as Asana relates to Pranayama, another limb of yoga.) So, I wanted a name that symbolized more than “just” the physical part of the practice, but also that didn’t ignore the physical part. Easy, right? No. But, that brings us back to Stillness & Fire.

The Stillness represents the calming of the fluctuations of the mind. Knocking off the monkey mind and finding clarity. Being present in the moment and letting the rest of the day drift away during your practice. But also, finding stillness and space in the postures of a physical practice. When your legs are shaking in a Virabhadrasana II that in know way feels like it should be held this long, finding some stillness in your mind, focusing on your breath, and feeling what is going on in your body. 

Which brings us to the Fire. When you are in the physical practice, what is coming up for you? For me, it’s different every day, but yoga can be very emotional. And it can be very challenging physically and mentally. But whatever your practice brings up, rather than trying to put the fire out, dampen it down, as we so often do, let it burn. One translation of tapas in the Yoga Sutras is purification through burning. Now, some religions throughout the years have interpreted this to mean self flogging or lying on a bed of nails. I’ll take a pass on that approach. But letting yourself feel whatever is coming up has been an extremely helpful tool for me in my practice and in life in general. Usually, once I go through the feelings, they become less intense, less overpowering. Sometimes it takes awhile and some persistence, just like fire takes time to burn. Yoga is a practice, not a light switch. Also, fire scares me. A lot. But I went to my first yoga class despite feeling terrified. I showed up. I found stillness in the face of fear, beauty in the flames. 

(Note: I’m by no means suggesting running into a fire. That is not one of the eight limbs of yoga or part of my mission as a teacher.)